Gamecube's Top 10, According to Me

So, I've finally had time to catch up on my stack of unplayed games over a four-day Memorial Day break, but what do I do? Get re-hooked on classic Nintendo Gamecube games like Super Smash Bros. Melee and Super Mario Sunshine. I blame it on my fiancée — she's playing through the Gamecube version of Ocarina of Time for her first time, and watching her has put me in a lovey-dovey Nintendo mood.

I've got Mario Sunshine paused right now (grabbing those last blue coins I never got), and I'm suddenly struck with the urge to write a definitive list of my all-time favorite Gamecube games. After all, the system is just about finished as far as new first-party Nintendo titles are concerned, which is all the system really had to offer in the first place. (Of course, I reserve the right to change this list at any time and claim that I never did.)

So, without further adieu, here is Chris Slate's personal all-time, can't-argue-with-me, never-gonna-change-it (unless I do) Top 10 Gamecube games! (Presented in the oh-so-dramatic last-to-first format for extra suspense!!!)

10] Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes
The original is my all-time favorite PSone game, and the Gamecube enhancements, for the most part, made it even better. I think that, if this had been a brand-new Gamecube game, I'd have ranked it much higher.

9] Metroid Prime
I'm still impressed at how flawlessly they made the move to the first-person view, while still making the game feel unmistakably like a Metroid title. I feel like this kind of game should have had more of an interesting personal story for Samus, though (not just the "history lesson" blurbs you get from scanning everything), and it's too easy to get lost while backtracking, but everything else about the game is perfect. I still can't bring myself to play through my copy of Echoes, though, since it's essentially the same game with all the power-ups re-scattered. Ah, well.

8] Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door
While not significantly different from the original (or the GBA's Mario & Luigi, for that matter), this game is just a pure joy to play. It's probably the most "charming" game I've ever seen; it plays like a love letter to the Mario series. (Come to think of it, I think I'll pop this one in and play it next...)

7] F-Zero GX
Sega's crazy Mokey Ball team did an amazing job with this game. Of all Nintendo's team-ups with other developers, this one produced the best results, by far. It does get way too difficult, though — I love the challenge, and I feel like I'm Champion of the Universe when I finally win something, but the toughest challenges are just plain cruel. I often dream of a sequel with crazy next-gen graphics and gyroscopic control.

6] Resident Evil 4
This is easily Gamecube's best third-party game. It's gorgeous, scary, fun, packed with goodness — it oozes quality from every bloody pore. The upcoming PS2 port looks better than I expected, but this game was made with the Gamecube in mind, and it shows.

5] Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
The only thing disappointing about this game is that Nintendo didn't really try to expand on the classic Mario Kart formula with anything different. The two-rider feature was cute, but didn't change much. Still though, in my mind, this is the best Mario Kart game to date. It will never replace the feeling I got playing the Super NES original, or my first "wow" at the N64 version's true 3D graphics, but to me, it's as fun to play as any of them, with the best graphics. I still love racing an all-course tournament, at top speed, against a buddy of mine. Awesome stuff.

4] The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker
Damn that sailing! If it wasn't for the incredibly overdone (and mostly boring) sailing, this may have been my favorite Zelda game. I love the style of the graphics, the dungeons and items are great, and some of the locations are so fantastic that I've thought of what it would be like to live there (I know, geek +1 for me). Despite the sailing and the insane fetch quest near the end, I always end up defending this game against the haters until I'm blue in the face.

3] Super Mario Sunshine
Another game that I'll always defend. I don't get why some people hate this game so much — it's basically Mario 64 with amped-up graphics and crazier stunts! I'll agree that the water pack is awkward for a lot of people to pick up and learn, and given the choice, I'd rather it not return in the next full Mario title, but for this one game it was a blast. If I'd like to live in the world of Wind Waker, then Delfino Isle is where I dream of vacationing (geek +2).

2] Super Smash Bros. Melee
When the original Smash Bros. was blowing up on the N64, I was one of those people that just didn't get it. Finally, I forced myself to sit down and play it, and after a few hours it just clicked. Melee adds so much to the original, and in many ways, it's Gamecube's best game. It's one of the best fighting games and one of the top multiplayer games, plus it's marinated in classic Nintendo nostalgia. My future wife just might divorce me when the online Smash Bros. comes out for Revolution.

1] The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Okay, obviously, I haven't even played this game yet. But after decades of gaming, I like to think that I've got a very good instinct about games, and my gut is telling me that Twilight Princess will be the best thing in the history of best things. I may have to re-do this list if this game ends up having some massive flaw, but I'd like to think Nintendo learned its lesson from the sailing in Wind Waker. This game will own us all.

And that's it! My personal top 10 Gamecube games. I've done these types of lists for magazines for years, and often times I'm fairly ambivalent about the order. This time, though, I think every game fits into its spot perfectly. I do feel a little guilty for not including some of my other favorites, like Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords, Pikmin and Pikmin 2, Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat, Eternal Darkness and the Viewtiful Joe games, among others. Oh well, sucks to be them.

While I'm at it, I'd like to recognize my personal Gamecube low points: both StarFox games. While I've never felt like the StarFox series measured up to Nintendo's other triple-A franchises, I really enjoyed the N64 game and I've always felt StarFox had the potential to be greater. However, Rare's uninspired collect-a-thon and Namco's "blah" shoot-'em-up have really set the franchise back. Nintendo needs to do the next game themselves to get it back on track.

As the next generation systems get closer, I'll probably jot down my top PlayStation 2 and Xbox games sometime soon. I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this list, so don't be shy, leave some feedback! :)